... medical qigong therapy in the philippines ... (life coach, counselor, psychotherapist, clinical psychologist, psychiatrist, osteopath, quezon city, manila)

as a pioneer and practitioner of integrative psychiatry in the philippines, i am always looking for ways to bring deep and lasting healing to my clients.  one of my favorite healing modalities is medical qigong therapy. in my clinical practice, i commonly use medical qigong therapy for people suffering from stress, depression, or anxiety.

medical qigong exercises

yours truly, a certified medical qigong practitioner

at your service!

medical qigong therapy is an ancient Chinese form of energy healing.  it is one of the four healing interventions used in traditional chinese medicine (TCM), the other three being acupuncture, herbal medicine, and massage. the effectivity of medical qigong therapy is strongly backed up by a lot of scientific research.  medical qigong therapy operates on the principle that illness is caused by imbalances and blockages in the flow of bio-energy (or "qi") in our body.  

here i am receiving acupuncture on my forehead 

from my medical colleague dr. ruel.

during a session of medical qigong therapy, the client lies down on a massage table and simply relaxes.  the medical qigong therapist moves around the table while making hands movements above the clients' body which have the purpose of removing energy blockages and correcting energy imbalances. during the session, clients commonly experience body sensations such as heat, tingling, magnetism, lightness, and a sense of well-being. after the session, clients are taught some qigong exercises and dietary instructions to reinforce the healing process.  

medical qigong therapy session

in my own life, i try to do my qigong exercises daily.  by doing so, i rid myself of toxic energies and fill myself up with God's vibrant and positive energy.  i strongly suggest that you try medical qigong therapy yourself and make it a part of your regular self-care program.

here i am teaching the methods of traditional chinese medicine (TCM) to workshop participants:

qigong therapy

qigong movements

hand and foot acupuncture

clinical massage

... gestalt therapy growth group: sunog! sunog! ... (life coach, counselor, psychotherapist, clinical psychologist, psychiatrist, osteopath, quezon city, manila, philippines)

love nagpala and ronald miranda, both doctors-to-be from the u.p. college of medicine, dropped by for an experience of gestalt therapy.

the theme that emerged from today's growth activity was on "self-nurture and self-care."  many of the roles we play in life require us to take care of other people.  however, in putting the need of others ahead of ours, we place ourselves at the risk of burning out.  

what comes to my mind is this verse in the bible which says, "love others as you love yourself."  it is a verse that implies self-love as a pre-requisite for loving others.  we simply cannot give what we do not have.  and we cannot fully give what we ourselves are deficient in.  

just to put this "preaching" into practice, ronald and i decided to do cranio-sacral therapy on love nagpala, whose stream has run a little dry from helping others.  notice her delight as she gets recharged! :D

... gestalt therapy growth group activity: puno na punong-puno ng snakes ... (life coach, counselor, psychotherapist, psychologist, psychiatrist , quezon city, manila, philippines)

after a long while, i facilitated a gestalt growth group activity for some wonderful students from the u.p. college of medicine students- hadi mahammad-isa, sheryl manalili, kris mangunay, patricia nacienceno, and christine olivar.  

in processing the growth group activity, a lot of themes came up.  of all the themes, what struck me the most was the theme about the "little snakes on the road."  these snakes are those little problems or challenges in life that I'm still able to run away from.  

but then, at the dead end of the road i'm treading, I come face to face with this "tree full of snakes," and this time, there is no recourse but for me to confront what I've evaded and feared for so long.

what i love about gestalt therapy growth groups is that it enriches everyone.  i may play the role of facilitator, but i am as much a student of life as the participants in the group are.  so to hadi, sheryl, kris, patricia, and christine,  thank you so much for life lessons I've learned from you. 

... touch psychotherapy, psychiatric acupuncture, and tarot card psychotherapy at the psychological association of the philippines PAP 2012 convention ... (life coach, counselor, psychotherapist, psychologist, psychiatrist, quezon city, manila, philippines)

the last time i attended a convention of the psychological association of the philippines (PAP) was almost a decade ago, to do a workshop where i taught an arnis (filipino stick-fighting) routine which could be used for emotional growth and healing.  i remember that workshop to be attended by around a hundred participants who had fun practicing the arnis sequence on each other using rolled-up newspapers instead of actual wooden sticks.  

this time, my purpose in attending the 3-day PAP convention at the cebu waterfront lahug hotel was to man the booth of life change recovery center (LCRC) and distribute flyers.  besides that, I did free 5-minute sessions for anyone interested in experiencing the dellosa approach to touch psychotherapy, psychiatric acupuncture, and tarot card psychotherapy.  lo and behold, the number of PAP participants who lined up for the 5-minute sessions totalled more than a hundred fifty-  almost 50 people per convention day.  

  

the best experience i had was to be of service to my fellow psychologists who felt some degree of physical, emotional, and mental relaxation through their sessions with me.  the next best thing was meeting old friends and making new ones.  

the moment i arrived back in quezon city, the first thing i did was to get a good massage and dine in a fancy restaurant.  now it was my turn to take good care of myself. and by the way, a big hello to all you friends i met at the convention!

... pepito manaloto undergoes life coaching, acupuncture, and touch therapy ... (life coach, counselor, psychotherapist, psychologist, psychiatrist)

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as a psychiatrist, i believe that my clients deserve more than a medical prescription. medications are certainly important and oftentimes necessary, but clients can be helped through natural and holistic ways too. i guess that's what motivated gma's pepito manaloto to visit me. in his quest for psychological and physical health, he visited my clinic for a 3-in-1 session of life coaching, acupuncture, and touch therapy.
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life coaching is about helping people deal with their common life problems, teaching them necessary attitudes and life skills to overcome the problem, and assisting them to attain their higher goals.
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acupuncture is the ancient chinese practice of inserting needles into the body to correct any energy flow imbalances, thereby facilitating recovery from illnesses.
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touch therapy is a body-mind approach which uses light touch and gentle body manouvers to make suppressed and hidden emotions, images, and memories surface to the client's conscious mind.
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pepito manaloto was indeed a character, and it was a hilarious experience having him and his friends around!
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... the gentle way of releasing muscle tightness ... (life coach, counselor, psychotherapist, psychologist, psychiatrist, philippines)

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gina lee is a kindred spirit in the field of holistic healing.

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just to give you a rundown of the many hats she wears, she is a reiki master, acupuncturist, tuina bone-setter, bowen therapist, dorn method practitioner, pediatric massage therapist, deep nerve therapist, and craniosacral therapist. and just when you think that that's all to her list, she is also an "emm-tech" instructor, "emm-tech" standing for "easy muscle management technique."

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emm-tech is a fast and effective release therapy used to (1) relieve muscle pain and discomfort, (2) increase flexibility, and (3) develop stability and balance. this technique involves the application of light pressure on the various points on the body, which causes the release of muscle groups.

the hilarious thing about emm-tech is that it frequently uses the middle finger to perform the "touches." in our class picture below, you'll see us unabashedly displaying the main "instrument" of emm-tech."

. being a holistic healer and body therapist myself, i've attended many training workshops on various healing modalities here and abroad. to date, i have to say that gina's training workshop is one of the most amazing workshops i've ever attended- amazing not only because of gina's light-hearted character and easy-going style of teaching, but also because emm-tech produces baffling results that are difficult to explain.

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for instance, just through a series of light touches on my body, emm-tech was able to make my neck twist more freely from side-to-side, release my frozen shoulder, soften up my diaphragm, release my tight hamstrings and calf muscles, and make me stand up in a more balanced and stable manner. . i am therefore proud to have learned the essential skills of emm-tech and excited to help people through it.

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here i am practicing emm-tech on leomil adriano, dedicated professor of physical therapy at the university of santo tomas. thanks leomil!

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and here is greg ciocson, renowned feng shui expert and akashic record reader, practicing emm-tech on me. thanks greg!

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... taiko drumming as therapy in the philippines ... (life coach, counselor, psychotherapist, psychologist, psychiatrist)

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i love collecting cds of tribal drumming.
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whatever kind of tribe it comes from-- african, australian aboriginal, american indian, hawaiian, or filipino, i love them all. listening to the drums gives me a sense of rootedness and groundedness. the primal beats connect me to a deeper aspect of myself; it connects with people of different cultures; and it connects me with mother earth.
.i'm actually a frustrated drummer. despite having attended drum circles here and there, i haven't really developed the skills of expert drumming. the most i can do is teach some elementary hand drumming rhythms to participants in my growth groups. it usually is an enjoyable experience for the participants.
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when i received the invitation to attend an introductory workshop on japanese taiko drumming, i was all excited! the word "taiko" means "big fat drums," as in "humongously obese" drums. taiko drums were once used in the battlefields of japan to scare away the enemies. the sounds produced were so deafening that they were reputedly heard across the battlefield! now here was my chance to be a brave warrior and beat the hell out of those sumo-sized drums!
.and so what was taiko drumming like?
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let me just tell you that it was a "whole-being experience!" the ecstacy of the experience is in giving all of yourself-- "wasting" yourself as you beat the drum. and the reward you get is the beat that comes back to you in the same intensity with which you produced it. taiko drumming teaches you to consume yourself in the act of pounding the drums. there is no holding back in taiko drumming!
.i always wondered why taiko drummers wore only loincloth as they did their performances, and now i know. taiko drummers get profusely drenched in their own sweat! they urgently need to hydrate themselves with gallons of water to gain back the fluids lost!
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three days after the workshop, my body still aches. i am still ecstatic though from all the pounding i did. truly, it was a one-of-a kind experience!
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... body-mind integration and body-centered psychotherapy in the philippines ... (psychiatrist, psychologist, psychotherapist, counselor, life coach)

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medical students from u.p. pgh got a first-hand experience of body-centered psychotherapy.

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body-centered psychotherapy is way of integrating the body, mind, and emotions. when the body, mind, and emotions are disintegrated or split from each other, emotional disturbances, psychosomatic illnesses, and medical problems result.

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the disintegration usually happens when negative emotions are suppressed, minimized, or denied. when emotions are not given an outlet for expression, the energy of the emotion gets trapped in the body thereby disturbing the body equilibrium. unexpressed anger, grief, guilt, and fear can cause hypertension, hyperacidity, irritable bowel syndrome, panic attacks, depression, asthma, acne, allergies, headaches, etc.

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body-centered psychotherapy is a wonderful way of befriending our bodies and releasing the emotions and memories trapped within. because this therapy is body-based, it can accomplish a level of healing which ordinary "talk therapies" cannot.

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the disposal of emotional baggage which had been trapped in the body creates fresh and fertile space for positive emotions to reside and flourish within the person.

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... kundalini yoga in the philippines ... (life coach, counselor, psychotherapist, psychologist, psychiatrist)

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kundalini yoga is an ancient form of yoga that focuses on the spine. practitioners of kundalini yoga believe that youth is determined by the flexibility of the spine, and that a flexible spine is necessary for maintaining a healthy body. hence, the focus of kundalini yoga is on exercises, stretches, and postures that help keep the back muscles and spine flexible and strong. it's become my routine to do a set of kundalini yoga exercises every morning. the exercises make me feel calm, centered, yet energized to face the day's challenges.

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margaret de castro, a niece of mine who is on vacation in the philippines, works for NASA as an operations research analyst and is also a yoga enthusiast. one morning, seeing me do my kundalini yoga moves, she was kind enough to give me instruction on how to improve the movements. here she is telling me to keep my elbows up as i do the basic spinal twist.

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filipinos will easily relate to the spinal flex and the cat-cow exercises. filipinos unknowingly practice kundalini yoga when they do the “otso-otso” dance moves (see illustrations below). in fact, even the "spaghetting pababa, spaghetting pataas" move is similar to the spinal grind exercise of kundalini yoga. no wonder it’s easy for filipinos to keep young and flexible.

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as for margaret, for helping me stretch my spine, i treated her out to dinner, the cost of which was ...mmm... an added stretch on my budget! (joke- hehe!)

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... touch therapy for emotional awareness and healing ... (life coach, counselor, psychotherapist, psychologist, psychiatrist, philippines)

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featured in abscbn's news program "bandila:" touch therapy for emotional awareness and healing.
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What is Touch Therapy for Emotional Healing?
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Touch Therapy for Emotional Healing is a form of hands-on, body focused psychotherapy for integrating the body, mind, emotions and spirit.
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Touch Therapy for Emotional Healing utilizes scientific, psychotherapeutic, ethical, artful, and respectful application of touch on the body.
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Through this type of touch, unresolved emotional experiences, forgotten memories, buried feelings, energy blockages, and unconscious attitudes that had been hidden within the body finally surface and get released.
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When clients become aware of the psychological and emotional issues hidden within their body, they become empowered to break free from the unconscious self-defeating patterns of their lives.
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Who can benefit from Touch Therapy for Emotional Healing?
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Touch Therapy for Emotional Healing is for anyone pursuing health and wellness.
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Touch Therapy for Emotional Healing is useful for a wide range of conditions which include the following:
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• Those pursuing a path of self-discovery and personal growth
• Those seeking emotional healing, integration, and wholeness
• Those exploring the body-mind connection
• Those seeking release from physical symptoms caused by or aggravated by emotional factors
• Those suffering from stress, tension, anxiety, panic attacks, and depression.

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What happens during a session of Touch Therapy for Emotional Healing?
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The individual lies on a cushioned table, with minimal clothing, draped with a light blanket or sheet.
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The Touch Therapist applies gentle yet firm touch on different areas of the body such as the back, shoulders, chest, upper and lower abdomen, and extremities.
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After approximately 45 minutes, a brief discussion is made to process the experience.
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A complete Touch Therapy session lasts for an hour.
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What are the benefits of Touch Therapy for Emotional Healing?
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• Greater physical relaxation
• Greater emotional health
• Deeper self-knowledge and self-awareness
• Deeper re-connection to self and to others
• More vitality, meaning, and joyfulness in life

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How many sessions are needed?
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It is recommended to have weekly sessions.
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For the maintenance of emotional health and wellness, weekly sessions are advised.
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